Pork Chili Con Carne

My dinosaur loves this Mexican-style one-pot meal: A pork chilli con carne. So do I!
It is very rich, reasonable time-wise (for a slow-cooked meal) and so rich.
Instead of beef I used lean pork, but a more fatty piece like pork shoulder or leg would be yummy too. I used pork because it gets tender faster than chuck steak beef or blade steak. I also added corn for the crunch.

Ingredients (6 servings)

5 min preparation + 40 min cooking

- 600g lean pork, cut into 2 cm pieces

- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped*

- 2 cans kidney beans, drained but not washed

- 1 can corn, drained (whole kernel)

- 1 onion, sliced (French cut)

- 2 garlic gloves, crushed

- 1 tsp chilli powder (or according to your taste)

- 1 tsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp sugar*

- salt, black pepper

Cooking instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron casserole; add the pork meat, the sliced onion and crushed garlic until the meat gets slightly coloured; then add the chilli powder. Stir for 1-2 min.

2. Add the tomatoes previously chopped finely. Fill up the empty can with water and pour it into the casserole.
3. Add the sugar and bring it to boil.

4. Reduce the heat; taste to adjust the chilli.*
5. Add the kidney beans and let cook down uncovered for about 30 min on medium-low heat. Give it a stir occasionally.

6. Add the corn and cook for 10 more minutes. 

Depending on the heat, you may need to add some water. In that case, pour the water gradually. The sauce should be thick enough to stick on the meat and on the beans.

Always taste to adjust seasoning to your taste!

Serve with white rice* and Mexican-style flat bread - recipe here.

Bon appétit!

Tips

* Whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, because I personally don't like canned chopped tomatoes! I found them of lower quality.

* For those who are watching their weight, I suggest you replace sugar by a liquid sweetener like Sugromax (few drops will be enough, although the sweetener power diminished under the heat).
* If you mistakenly put too much chilli, add one peeled potato cut in two to the casserole. It will absorb the chilli and reduce the heat.

* Not that I question anyone skills to cook rice, but I noticed that In New Zealand, rice is often cooked using the steaming or absorption method. Here I recommend using the boiling method, which consists in boiling a large quantity of water first, then add coarse salt and the rice. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, then pour the rice in a colander, fluff the rice with a fork and serve. If you plan to eat your rice later, add a knob a butter when fluffing it.